For A Living
by Fae 206
Summary: Kyoko Mogami was raised by a gang in Japan and despite her fierce love for fairy tales, she has the job of being a hit man for the gang. Whilst usually she gets her target into victim protection, this time isn't so simple. Her target happens to work for foreign prince, Kuon, whose a little too into playing a vigilante and less so in ruling a country and Kyoko is his new interest.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Very different fic here and complete alternate universe however I hope that you still enjoy, I hope to include flashbacks as well just to strengthen their stories. Hope you enjoy 😊 Also, for this one, no chapter titles, let's see how that works out 😉

 **For A Living**

 **Chapter One**

Kyoko Mogami hated this life but she didn't have a choice. She was a hitman…well maybe hitwoman. She had been trained in martial arts, acrobatics, and a method of killing techniques starting from when she was six years old and her mother had given her to a gang leader who had lost a daughter of his own. From that time she had been raised to be a spy, a hitwoman, an undercover agent and she hated this position.

Being a hitwoman was _not_ a position of power. It was _not_ a respectful position and she was constantly having to run for her life. However, one thing that nobody knew about her was that she only pretended to kill. She would lead a person to being unconscious and then get them into victim protection with their entire identity being changed.

She had caused people to lose their precious lives but in not a way she was contracted to do. Her current target was an ambassador from Enfaeland, a smaller island nation situated between the Americas and Japan with a patriarchy. The ambassador was one of the head in their country and he would be traveling with the prince as he tried to establish positive diplomacy between countries. By no means was it someone that she wanted to kill or to target but this was her job, it was what she had been trained to do.

Polishing her gun, she looked around her as she sat in the café. Nobody could see the gun but she had ways of scaring them off if they did. She didn't care that guns were illegal in Japan for civilian use, they allowed her to get out of hand to hand combat easily and it wasn't as if she often used them. She also knew the difference between the fatal areas of the body and those that would just require a hospital visit.

"Hello, young lady," a man said as he approached her and Kyoko looked up, raising her eyebrow. She sized him up, quite tall, well-built body, probably some athletic skill though she didn't know how much. He was wearing designer clothes and was well groomed. His brown hair was pushed back adding to his attractiveness and he had deep brown eyes. Gorgeous. Maybe he was unintelligent, one of those guys who cared more about his appearance than his intelligence.

"What the hell do you want?" Kyoko asked as she had a spark in her amber eyes. Soon she would be wearing her color contacts and wig but that was only when she was in the middle of her job, this was just a prep until she got the coordinates of her location.

"I'd like to buy you a drink," he said and Kyoko watched him, "Name is Tsuruga Ren, I'm a business man," he said and Kyoko laughed.

"Sure, a business man," she said before shrugging, "I'm a business woman and definitely not interested in a pretty boy like you. I'm sure if you stuck around the station, you could pick up one of those…dolls," Kyoko looked away and stuffed the gun in her bag. She saw him smiling at her and glared darkly at him.

"You're really cute," he told her and Kyoko paused. She would want to decapitate this guy and she had only ever pretended to do that. She stood up before looking at him, "I guess you're not interested," he commented.

"Definitely not interested," Kyoko said before she turned away. She shot him another look and he laughed at her, standing up and following her. Without her knowing, he slipped the gun out of her bag and put it in his before changing direction. As he did, Kyoko felt something had gone wrong.

Men were way too much of a distraction.

…..

…..

Kyoko was wearing a white wig that was in a bob, she had dark sunglasses on and dark blue contacts. She was in one of the gang locations, a rooftop hideout in one of the tall Tokyo office buildings. She lined up the target on her gun, she needed to make one shot that missed before using the stun gun so that she didn't completely kill the ambassador. She hadn't seen the prince yet but she needed to take out his second in command for this trip.

Kyoko was slowing her breathing before she felt something behind her and turned around to see that the door was open. She heard someone moving in the shadows and she looked around trying to figure out who was there with her. One of the rival gang members possibly.

"Whoever you are you asshole…" she said before feeling herself being pushed down. She rolled to the side but the man had too much weight on her. She tried to knee him in his groin but felt there to be a cup over it.

She paused, the man was dressed completely in black with a black mask on that a robber might use. Was this actually an honest to god ninja!? She paused before feeling a gun at the side of her head and tried again to kick him, she managed to roll to the side but the man grabbed her wrist, breaking it before placing his hand over her neck, spreading his fingers, Kyoko looked into his deep brown eyes. Was this the same jerk who had been following her before!?

"I'm not aiming to kill them!" Kyoko yelled out and the man paused, still making sure she couldn't get up.

"Explain," he said and she looked at him. She turned her head to the side and nodded.

"Fine, I'll explain," she said as he glared at her again. "I'll tell you, Tsuruga Ren," she smirked and he laughed as if hiding a secret from her. That wasn't his real name…was it?


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thank you for your patience on the upload, I hope you continue to enjoy this fic

 **Chapter Two**

"You know," Kyoko commented as she felt her wrist throbbing with the way that he had been clutching it, whoever _he_ really was. "You could let me walk by myself, you don't need to break my arm, you asshole."

"Great," Ren said as he rolled his eyes, "I'm an asshole. Listen, I could outmaneuver you with only a few moves and keep you at a point where you are unable to make any kind of attack. I know the type of person that you are. A killer," he said and Kyoko sighed.

"I've been hired to kill bu-" she tried to explain but Ren shot her a dark look, interrupting her as his eyes narrowed.

"You've been hired to kill and the Japanese always work with such a hard work ethic for their jobs. You don't care who you hurt. You just do it for a paycheck," he commented. "Listen, whatever you tell me, I don't take kindly to liars and you're just wasting your breath."

"Shame you can't check on police records," Kyoko said and Ren hummed, looking at her confused. "If you could then, well, you'd be able to know that I never really did kill anyone however it might seem to an outsider. I just managed to get them into victim protection. Sure, they had to start a new life but they were able to live and most of the time with their family beside them."

"You're right, I do believe something that you said," Ren replied as they finally got to his private hotel room. He managed to get the door opened and shoved Kyoko into the room. He threw her to her knees and kept one hand pressed at the back of her neck, forcing her to stay there. "It's a shame that I _can't_ check on police records, at least not in _this_ country."

"Heh," Kyoko smiled, "You've given your game away too early Mr. Tsuruga," she laughed. "You've just admitted to being a foreigner. Well, it might be seen as an act of terrorism that you, a foreigner, have just abducted a Japanese citizen. You wouldn't want to land in one of our hard working Japanese prisons, would you?" she asked and Ren laughed.

"They are not going to arrest me, I've got special clearance for things like this," he said and Kyoko looked at him.

"For what? Abducting a woman who is younger than you and making her act like your prostitute?" Kyoko said with a cold spark in her eyes. She could force this man to release her. He might be stronger than her but he didn't seem to be so intelligent she couldn't conquer him mentally. He must have some weakness, some flaw that she could manipulate.

"Kind of," he shrugged and Kyoko's mouth dropped open, "Especially if I find that that woman is dangerous. Anyway, I didn't come back here to rape you. Set your accusations on that aside. I just thought that the two of us should have a little talk. Of course, I've alerted security to keep an eye on this room….other security."

"So you're some kind of FBI agent or something," Kyoko slid her tongue over her top lip. "Well, if you did want to share the be-"

"Don't insult me," Ren said as he sat down in a chair opposite you. "You're a strange one to crack. I've already found information on your education, your age, your family background, your residency but I have to concentrate more on your state of mind. Do you want my fellow agents to do a scan on these people, I assure you that we are able to do so."

"And you'd probably start a war with Japan," Kyoko said and Ren blinked looking at her. "And if you know my family then you know why I have to do this. You know that if I don't do this then someone is going to die and forgive me that I don't want it to be me."

"I can't forgive that," Ren said and Kyoko glared at him. "So," he turned on the television in the hotel room. "Let's take a look at what is going on between our two countries," he said and then paused with a smile as he saw that nobody had been hurt and it had gone well. So if somebody had been wanted dead, he had apprehended the person who would have made that shot.

As he turned to her, Kyoko's face was a deathly pale. She was shivering, sweat sliding down her body as if she had just seen a ghost. Why did this have to be on the TV, why couldn't they choose to report on something else? Yes, it would be less interesting but why did they have to show _this_.

"Are you okay?" Ren asked and Kyoko's eyes filled with tears.

"They've found out already that I didn't…I couldn't…things weren't supposed to work out like this," she panicked and Ren raised an eyebrow. "Don't you understand, they'll kill me?" she told him and Ren looked at her, his face softening. "I'm dead already, they'll find me here and they'll murder me. They won't even think twice about it. I can't stay here. I can't….they run so much of Japan, they'll find me here."

Ren sighed and knelt in front of her, "Then I will provide protection for you until I am able to find out the truth. I am not unkind, however, I do believe in justice so if I conclude that you truly are an assassin, I will not show mercy for you. Promise me right now that these people, the ones you were sent to kill, the last knowledge you have of them is that they are living life."

Kyoko nodded, "I promise you."

Ren paused and reached down for a radio, "Keep her under guard. Make sure to watch the woman in my bedroom. Stay inside the bedroom as I'm sure she can figure out an escape. She is to be sedated for her own safety," he said before hearing someone telling him that they understood.

Kyoko stared at him, "You're going to _sedate_ me!?" she yelled in disbelief but it was too late to protest and people started to grab her, restraining her and then she felt something injected into her body and it all went to black.

…..

…..

Kyoko stared helplessly as she remained restrained to the bed. She didn't know if they would find her but she wanted to escape, if she was hidden and she knew that she had chosen the location herself then she would definitely be away from them. They wouldn't be able to find her. She was quite good at remaining hidden.

If it wasn't for Ren Tsuruga then she would be much safer but as for right now, she had to rely on him.

During her studies, Kyoko had always felt the best once she had put her heart into it and mastered it. She remembered that she had been trained to accomplish certain acrobatic stunts and she had found them hard in the beginning. She had been scared that she would be scolded and that made her more nervous of trying the move in the first place.

She had taken that fear and learned how to turn it into adrenaline. Within the dark, she had found herself and with no other help she was able to defeat both the monsters and her enemies. Whenever she had applied herself to making something happened and that thing was within her grasp it had made her see the world with a bit more excitement. Closing her eyes she struggled against the restraints.

Right now might be another time to make a miracle happen.

She looked up and saw that there was a girl in the darkness. She was sharpening something that looked like a knife but was round like a pen.

"Stupid idiots," she whispered to herself, "Leaving a girl in charge of another girl. Stupid. It's not as if I want to talk about bra sizes and makeup. It's not as if I know anything abou-"

"Hey, you think you can help me over he-" Kyoko began but stopped as the woman threw a wooden stake at the wall right next to her. "Okay, I get it, you're not interested in friendship."

"What do you want?" the girl asked and Kyoko looked at her.

"What's your name?" she asked and the girl turned away. In the dim light, Kyoko could see the faint remains of a scar over her head.

"Chiori," she said before pointing a knife at her, "and no I won't tell you my real name or help you, you treacherous scum," she said before sitting down again and Kyoko was impressed that there were other girls like her around. Hopefully Chiori wasn't doing this against her will.

…

…

"You were delayed, Your Royal Highness?" one of the attendants of the meeting asked and Kuon gave a weak look at him. He knew that this man was just trying to extend the formalities to him but somehow he much preferred his life as Ren Tsuruga to that of being the heir to the throne.

"I was, unfortunately. I take it that the meeting is going well so far," he smiled and the attendant nodded.

"Of course, we are all discussing the history of our diplomatic relationships but I think that everyone would want to hear your thoughts, Your Highness," the attendant dropped into a deep bow and Kuon gave a quiet look to the side. He hoped that Kyoko was doing okay. Though he shouldn't be paying her as much attention as he was, he did hope that she wasn't hurting from the drugs. They were meant to keep her from escape.

"Thank you," Kuon said before sneaking into the room with everyone watching him. He saw them bow to him and then gave a weak smile, he was a little embarrassed about being so late for this. He also knew that though the Japanese emperor and prime minister wouldn't tell him that he had done something illegal by restraining Kyoko, it was best to be punctual to this type of thing.

"I am so sorry about my late arrival," he apologized causing everyone to stare at him as if he were acting like a commoner instead of the crown prince. He could bow quite formally but it seemed like that of a rich middle-class family rather than the elegant prince that he actually was.

"No, that is…we arrived early," the emperor smiled, "We are honored by your visit."

"And I am beyond honored at your being here today," Kuon said quickly. "I am so grateful. I want to make sure that we keep our alliance close. This is of great importance to me," Kuon said as he went to sit next to Yashiro who was his second in command. He leaned over and said in a way where only he and Yashiro could hear. "Everything is okay with the girl. I restrained her on my bed," he said and Yashiro bowed his head.

"It would be best for you not to mention that in front of such important people," Yashiro advised him and Kuon nodded with a weak smile.

"Yes, I suppose it could come out in an unintended manner," he said before listening to the prime minister as he spoke.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you reviewers, Chapter One**

Cleocat333, H-Nala, Kris XD, misherukuro, Moonlight46, Ns, paulagato,

 **Response to Reviews**

I'm glad that people seem to like this fic. It's a little harder to write a complete AU but I hope that you're enjoying it. Also, Ren is Kuon's disguise. Kuon is the prince of his country but he uses Ren so that he can do things beyond the scope of being a prince.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thank you for your patience, I think this is the only alternate universe story that I'm writing to do with a Kyoko-Kuon relationship, it feels a little strange. (Yes, I do have some alternate timelines/alternate reality but this is alternate universe).

 **Chapter Three**

After the meeting, Yashiro gestured that he and Kuon should go to a private room. There were more people who Kuon knew who were aware of his activities as Ren Tsuruga but the king had requested for it to be kept that way. He approved more of his son attempting to be a hero than of any other rebellious attitude that he might have tried. Yashiro sighed as they got to the private room.

"Although I do feel out of line to say this, you being late to these important meetings might be misinterpreted as you attempting to make a power move," he said and Kuon sighed before nodding. Yashiro hummed, this was worse than he thought. " _Are_ you trying to make a power move?" he felt he needed to ask and Kuon shook his head.

"Just busy trying to stop an assassination attempt," he said and Yashiro looked away.

"And the guards that you could have sent out?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and Kuon shrugged. "You often forget that you are the heir to our country, if something were to happen to you on any of these rescue missions it would be putting our kingdom in jeopardy. Now, I assume that you have something that you need to see to, a young woman that you have kept prisoner no doubt."

"For her own protection," Kuon shrugged, "Trust me on that one," he said and Yashiro rolled his eyes.

"I suppose that I have to trust you because I have never had reason to doubt the words that you've said, the promises that you've made. Please don't be late for the flight back, the private plane won't wait around forever," he said and Kuon winked at him.

"Of course they will," he joked, "I am the crown prince after all."

Yashiro sighed as he saw Kuon walking off and looked down, he didn't know how to reason with this man. He knew what a prince was supposed to do but Kuon wanted to act like a superhero. Well, sometimes being part of the royal family where you had to follow the rules and live up to the duties you were born to could be exhausting but he should have more respect for his position instead of gallivanting as Ren Tsuruga. Well, those judgements were better kept unsaid.

…

…

Like many other members of the royal family, Kuon had never asked to be born as a royal. He had never requested the opportunity to lead a country as a future king but that was what he had been given by being born as a Hizuri. He was going to one day be king and that would be a scary thought. As a prince he had more freedom, once he was king that freedom would vanish from him.

If only he had been born as a commoner then he would be able to help others more than he currently could. He would go out on the streets as a vigilante, try his hand at some detective and investigative work, maybe he would even join the police force and work his way up through the ranks. In his country though, he was higher than the law enforcement and he had more power than even the head of the police, he could fire him if he wanted to.

He didn't like this life. He didn't enjoy having privileges exclusive only to him.

It would be better were he Ren Tsuruga the whole time rather than the Kuon Hizuri who was on some of his country's money and had statues and monuments and buildings named after his family. At least this woman, Kyoko, was of interest to him but it wasn't right to keep her cooped up just so that he could study her. She deserved more than that and she wasn't going to get it here.

As he made his way to the hotel room, he noticed that the people he had protecting the room were still there and he hoped that the girl, Kyoko was still inside. As he put his keycard into the slot, he saw the girl meet her with a scowl.

"Hello," he said as he walked into the room before turning to Chiori. "Thank you for your work," he told her, "You are permitted to take the night off if you want," he said and Chiori glared at Kyoko before bowing to Ren and left the hotel room. Kyoko scoffed at that interaction.

"What are you?" she asked, "A damn prince who people have to pay their respects to?" she asked and Ren turned, he looked away and pulled out a chair so that he could watch her.

"I could release you," he told her and Kyoko stared at him, was he honestly going to keep her trapped in here. What kind of a pervert was he!? "I do want to propose something to you though," he told her and Kyoko stared at him. She was too busy with her own drama and the need to escape the gang that was probably seeking her out to get their kill to agree to anything that this crazed Ren was going to ask her.

"Whatever sick prospect you have in mind," she told him, "I'm not interested."

"I'm offering you diplomatic immunity for my country," he told her and Kyoko looked at him. How was he able to arrange that for her? Yes, she had been planning on escaping and going as far away as she could but she had never thought that he would offer to take her to another country with him. It did seem a favorable option, a temporary option but still something that she might be able to benefit from.

"And what did you want my job to be there?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Whatever you would like it to be. If you're talking about my binding you into a contract then forget it, I'm not going to want to control you but I did put you in here to keep you safe. You see, I do have other matters that I have to deal with," he said and Kyoko glared at him again.

"I am not interested in being a concubine," she hissed and he laughed before shaking his head.

"I am not interested in that either," he said and she watched him curiously, "Trust me, it would only be an extreme burden to me were you to fall in love with me, even the idea of such a thing is painful to my heart." Kyoko rolled her eyes. So she was being told by a jerk to leave Japan to travel to a country that she knew almost nothing about because he thought it would be funny.

"You assure me that I am under no contract?" she asked and he stood, releasing her from her restraints.

"I would prefer to discuss this as equals," he told her and Kyoko's eyes darted to the window, he moved so that he was blocking her path and her eyes then turned towards the door. She could find an escape if she had to, she definitely didn't trust the man who could do this to her. "I am sorry if you seem to have misunderstood my intentions. I am trying to look out for your safety."

"So, you're not some psycho who wants to restrain me here?" Kyoko said dryly as she rolled her eyes. She sat up so she could face him though she was very alert. She could defend herself if he decided to attack her but there was a kindness in his eyes as well as a loneliness. She was struck by him. He seemed to possess some kind of humility despite an elevation in his status.

"I apologize for that," Ren told her, "I want to work together with you but I want to do it in _my_ country," he said and Kyoko frowned at him.

"So, Ren," she said through gritted teeth. "How would I pay you back for this so-called kindness? You want me to spy on my own country, tell you all the hidden truths about gang life in Japan. How would I even know that you weren't going to imprison me, I mean that appears to be your style."

"I'm not like that but you haven't had a chance to see that," he protested before looking out the window himself. "Just as you said that you've been moving people into witness protection, I also like to protect people that I find are worth protecting. You would have your own life but you have skills that I am interested in. I want nothing more than to give you a chance to live your life," he said and Kyoko couldn't help believing in those words. She must be a gigantic fool to trust him after he had tied her to a bed and limited her movement.

"You know, these people have to cut off their whole lives, change their background, their name. Do you want me to do that?" Kyoko asked and he put a hand to his forehead.

"In a way, yes. I do understand that your life is important but what do you honestly have to lose here?" he said before smiling, "However, I do like the name Kyoko and find that a person's name is how they hold their individuality and it is the center to who they are just as the name Ren is," he saw her watching him. "You can keep however much of your past you would like to but I don't want you having contacts in this country because that might lead you to danger," he told her and Kyoko felt strange that he was becoming so protective of her.

"And we don't have to meet or see one another?" she asked and Ren sighed.

"I would feel that that would be rather unfortunate," he said as he turned to her before sighing. "Okay, if that is truly what you desire then I will not pressure you into being my friend or even adviser. Now, if you seek me out I will acknowledge you but I will let you live in the country with immunity and a visa to start off with. It is a very generous thing that I am offering you," he reminded her and Kyoko sighed.

"Fine," she whispered, "but I am not going to become your wife," she said stubbornly and Ren nodded.

"I never asked you to be my wife," he told her before feeling an odd spark between them. No. He would not fall in love with her. He had spent so many years not needing to feel that love and maybe it was just that he found her a curiosity and he liked adventures. Yes, that was it. He was not going to fall in love and especially with someone who the country would find unworthy to be part of the royal family.

"When do you want to leave?" she asked him and he looked at his watch.

"Midnight seems appropriate," he told her and Kyoko stared at him. What kind of game was he playing? It was as if he were a small child who wanted to pretend to be a spy on a secret agent mission. Midnight!? It seemed idiotic to her. "Shall we get some food?" he asked and Kyoko nodded.

"How about hamburger steak maybe with a cooked egg on top?" he asked and Kyoko stared at him in shock. She nodded and bit her top lip, how on earth did this stranger, this man who had kept her prisoner been able to tell what her favorite food was? No. She would never fall in love with a jerk like this.

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two**

Cleocat333, H-Nala, Kris XD, moonlight46

 **Author Response**

I want to include many elements from the manga despite this fic being completely different from that. A lot more people are supportive of Kuon's dual identity than he realizes, mostly because of King Kuu's (XD) love for his son.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** I'm not sure but I think that since this is an AU it's a little bit harder for me to write so the chapter is shorter than my usual ones. I really do hope you enjoy it though

 **Chapter Four**

Kyoko sulked as she stared out of the window of the private jet. Now that she was hearing how people were addressing the so-called Ren, she had realized that she had been brought to a situation that there was no way of her being ready for. This moron who had rescued her was the prince of his country and she was told that she would be staying in his castle until suitable accommodation was found for her. She hadn't wanted to be with this guy in the first place and now that he was royalty, her desire had decreased further.

She pouted as she looked out the window and then felt him approach her with a glass of something pink and bubbly. He was actually giving her alcohol? Despite him being an actual prince, did he not understand that she shouldn't be drinking. She looked away with disinterest. "You really don't have a problem with alcohol," she said and Kuon raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you say that?" he asked before putting a hand on her shoulder, she moved away giving him a warning glance. So what if he was the prince, what was he going to do? Execute her? She was pretty doubtful that _that_ would be the case.

"I mean, what is in your hand?" she gestured and Kuon looked to the glass.

"Ah, you really don't have a good first opinion of me, do you?" he asked and Kyoko gave him a look that proved that what he had just said was correct. Kuon smiled as he put the drink in front of her and Kyoko turned, trying to ignore it. "That is one of the best strawberry lemonades that my country offers," he attempted to explain and Kyoko turned back to it slowly. Did he just say strawberry lemonade? "I think the name is Princess Lemonade," he smiled and Kyoko picked it up in her hands.

"You don't have to act like this. You can be a jerk if you want to," she told him as a security guard looked up at the two of them but Kuon gestured that they should sit down and remain calm. He definitely didn't find Kyoko much of a threat.

"Oh really, high praise," he winked as Kyoko looked at him again. "Look, you said that if you remained in Japan you might get into some trouble and I don't want to be the cause for anyone to get into trouble. I thought that taking you back to my country would let you live a good life, a happy life, a life where I can provide you with a visa, an apartment, and anything else that you need to live comfortably."

"Because you want me as a concubine," Kyoko accused him and Kuon rolled his eyes.

"Want you as a concubine?" he asked before shrugging and giving Kyoko an expression that seemed to say that he had absolutely no interest like that and that she wasn't his type. Kyoko felt irritated by this. Maybe he was a playboy who took advantage of the fact that he was a prince to lure a long line of women to want to be princesses. She had wanted to be a princess but now the option was looking a lot less favorable to her.

"You don't need to say it like that. Your country would probably revolt if they found you to marry an assassin anyway," she stated and Kuon laughed.

"Picturing yourself betrothed to me already?" he attempted to joke and Kyoko shook her head.

"You wish. You know, I think I preferred you when I thought that you were a security guard or someone _hired_ by the royal family. Ren was definitely more pleasant to be around. He wasn't the jerk that you are, your ego is huge, you know that right?" Kyoko accused him and Kuon laughed, he wasn't used to being spoken to like that and he had to admit that he enjoyed it.

"Lunch should be ready shortly," Kuon told her before going back to his seat. He smiled as he saw Kyoko start to drink the lemonade. She was rather beautiful and he was happy that he hadn't left her behind. She didn't seem the type of person who deserved to be stuck in that type of a life. He hoped that he could make her happy even if she did have a bad first impression of him.

…

…

Kyoko's absence was definitely missed by the group that she could at one point call her family. A family wasn't necessarily a good thing, it didn't meant that it had love and affection for all members but they had provided her with clothing and shelter in exchange for the job that she hated but they all felt she was talented at. They hadn't known that she hadn't killed and disposed of the targets they had given her despite her years of training and being tested under the best and most talented in their number. All they knew now was that the target she had been sent out to get most recently was alive and she had disappeared without a corpse being found.

This was one of the ways in which she would be found a traitor to the group and just like any major gangs, if you betrayed your 'family' then you would face the punishments, the final punishments.

Saena Mogami had been hired as a lawyer and kept on retainer for this group for the unpleasant and illegal acts of doing the work of the gang's version of justice. Nobody wanted their identity known to the outsiders and so Saena risked her life to be that face.

It was now time to send an assassin after their top assassin or at least to recover and burn the body. She had a suitcase of money in front of her and she closed her eyes, bowing her head and getting herself into character as there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," she instructed and a man walked in wearing a long trench and smoking a cigarette. His long silver hair was styled in what gave an impression of a young visual kei artist. Aside from Kyoko who had been brought up since childhood with a taste to kill on demand, this man was also successful. He would find her and kill her for this disgrace she had brought upon the family.

"Your name is Reino," Saena commented as the man took a seat at the table and then put his feet up, his shoes had once been designer but now they had wear to them as if he had trekked somewhere dangerous. He should have been wearing better clothing for her to offer him this contract.

"What do you make of it?" he asked before stretching out. "You know that I don't work for free," he told her as he eyed the briefcase. "And money is only one form of payment. What do I get to do with the body?" he asked as he licked his lips and Saena had a fear that he would eat his victims. No, her mind was racing, she was getting ahead of herself.

"I know the price you ask, I also know that you want to keep whatever weapons we provide you with," she told him and Reino nodded. "This girl isn't going to be easy though. She's quick and she has a strength using weapons. You may get hurt."

"Heh," Reino cracked a smile as he looked at Saena as if she had just made a joke worthy of a comedy club. "I never get hurt. I don't mind death but I hate pain and therefore I make sure that I _never_ get hurt."

Saena sighed before sliding down a photograph of Kyoko, she raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you can manage this one?" she asked and Reino picked up the photo, sliding it into his pocket.

"Any rule against necrophilia?" he asked and Saena shrugged.

As disgusted as she was by that question, it wasn't outside of the job description and there was no set rule on whether it was permissible. "Whatever you like," she told him ready to continue the contract negotiations.

…

…

Somehow being in the library in the palace reminded Kyoko of that scene in Beauty and the Beast where the Beast provided a library for Belle. Maybe that was too mean. Kuon was a prince but he was attempting to save her, not keep her prisoner in here and she hadn't lost her freedom, they were just trying to arrange somewhere where she could live safely. She hadn't intended to be mean or cause anyone any pain but she had grown up to be defensive.

She looked through the books before finding there to be one set out next to the window. It was a book of fairytales that were different than the ones she had grown up with in Japan. The book was written in English but she could read English and she was fascinated by what was inside. She jumped up to the ledge, picked up the book, and started reading.

As she skimmed through the pages in the book, she landed on one that seemed to spark interest within her. It was titled, 'The Tale of Prince Corn'. She smiled at the picture, this did kind of look like Kuon. This part of the book also seemed to be the most read part. Had this been something that he had enjoyed in childhood?

"I thought I'd find you in here," she heard a voice and turned to see Kuon approaching her. She turned stubbornly so that her body was turned away from him and that she could stare out the window. The world below seemed so new and different but she didn't want to show vulnerability to this man.

"What are you reading?" Kuon asked as he approached her and Kyoko tried to hide the book but he had already seen it. "Ah, Prince Corn, always an inspiration for me. It's about making sure to smile though also keeping a special place for your sadness," he told her and Kyoko rolled her eyes.

"You call that inspiration? A book that tells you that it's okay to be sad and lonely?" she asked but before she could place another insult, Kuon interrupted her.

"Yes, I do think that it's okay," he said honestly. "When I was little, my mother wanted to read to me and this was one of her favorite stories. She would always look so happy when she read it that it was very comforting to me as a small boy. I think you'd enjoy reading it," he told her and Kyoko turned to him. So, even though he had people giving him everything that he could want and she had people giving her things that they didn't want or things they legally needed to provide, they had both experienced what loneliness felt like.

"Tomorrow I'd like to show you the garden," Kuon told her as he took a look out of the window. "You might even be able to find my secret garden," he winked before leaving her with the book and Kyoko watched him go. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she had originally believed him to be.

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Three**

H-Nala, Kaname671


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 _Kyoko hadn't been able to sleep that night and it wasn't just the examination for entrance into middle school that was keeping her up, her father could have blackmailed and threatened her way into any school. No, it was the screams of the women that they had trapped in the darkened rooms because of the crimes of their husbands. Kyoko had heard them begging and one pleading with them because of their children but a debt had to be paid even if it meant sacrificing a human life._

 _The young girl closed her eyes tightly as she tried to ignore the screams and cries through the walls that weren't soundproof. She hated her father for this. She hated the gang. In the fairytale books she had read, people didn't suffer like that. They lived happily ever after with their princess._

 _Was ignoring them wrong? Well, if it was then what was she supposed to be doing?_

 _She had to get some sleep despite hearing the sound of human suffering. The next morning they would be teaching her how to sneak away and work under the cover of night, using it to her advantage. She would be taught skills with the gun soon. Guns were illegal in Japan but it wasn't as if the things that this "family" did were legal._

 _She tried to ignore the world by humming a lullaby to herself._

 _One day she'd get her revenge and learn to help those who she had let suffer. She would atone for her deeds as a child and how she didn't feel that she could get involved. She wouldn't let this deaden her emotions but become motivation for her to grow stronger so that one day, when nobody was expecting it, she could hold a dagger to her father's throat and force him to face judgment._

 _He was going to hell but he wasn't good enough for hell. He would suffer a million deaths and that would be her happiness, knowing that she had rid the demon who had appeared to have come from a horror movie._

…..

…..

Kyoko moved the spoon around in her soup bowl as she thought about the pain of the past. She looked around the palace walls feeling rather uncomfortable. They had a large table and yet Kuon had made sure that they sat as close to one another as was comfortable. She didn't want to mention that being in this luxurious room was anything _but_ comfortable to her. She sighed and he looked at the soup.

"I'm not a fan of eating," he told her and she shook her head, "but this soup is one of the country's famous dishes. Not many foreigners leave without talking about how delicious it is."

Kyoko looked around the room which had chandeliers, expensive paintings, and furniture that would cost her a lifetime's pay if she ever scratched even the smallest corner of it. The room seemed quiet and the echoes of their voices gave her pause but for some reason, he had decided to eat with her.

"You know you're a prince," she said and he laughed, shaking his head with a bowed head.

"Can't pull anything over on you," he winked as he picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the soup. Kyoko stared at him, he obviously wanted something from her but she would prefer to be left alone. He didn't have to sit with her in this banquet hall. She was so used to just grabbing a bite to eat at a car or convenience store that having this fanciful dinner didn't make her feel good as she had always imagined that it would but it made her feel nervous and ashamed of her situation.

"I'm not really hungry," she said and Kuon sighed as he looked around the walls again.

"I understand what you mean," he told her and Kyoko tilted her head to the side looking at him. "It is rather overbearing and it does make you feel rather lonely." He stood up before gesturing for her to do the same and follow his lead. "Enough with this elegance," he chuckled. "I know what we both really need."

Kyoko followed him. He didn't seem like a bad guy at all, maybe someone who was distant but she felt that she had misunderstood him – well he had held her captive – and that maybe if she took the time to get to know him, she might really like him.

She followed him to the entrance way of the palace where he summoned for their coats and had a servant bring them to him. Kyoko rolled her eyes. He could have his every whim done for him with just a few simple gestures and she was falling in line with him. He had that kind of presence and power that just drew people to him and maybe it was because he was royalty but there was a certain spark of magic as well.

"Come on," he said with a playful smile, "I know a place where they make the best sandwiches and they've never turned me away,"

"Has _anyone_ ever turned you away?" Kyoko asked and heard Kuon hum before he shook his head. "I mean, nobody would dare do that. If you upset a royal, don't you get beheaded or something?" she asked and Kuon laughed weakly as he stared at her with widened eyes.

"Do you actually think that this country is so old-fashioned?" he asked her before shaking his head. "Maybe we don't really stand out on a map and most people have never heard of us but with the way that Japan cut off people's heads we only share that similarity up to a certain point." Kuon sighed, "My father might be king but he's wise and fair and kind. He would never hurt someone like that. If my father were a commoner, he would still use all his powers to help others."

"Do all royals say the word 'commoner' like that?" Kyoko asked as she followed him along and saw people start to bow to him and to wish him a good evening. He certainly drew people's admiration but then he was a spoiled rich kid. In America, people would often swoon if they were paid attention by someone like him. That didn't make him better than everyone else. He sat high upon his throne looking down at the commoners as he had called them. No. This guy was no good despite how he had tried to save her life.

"Just follow me," he gestured with a chuckle. He couldn't change her opinion overnight and he didn't want her to ever find out that back at the palace, he had people investigating her with great caution. If he upset the wrong person then the people who were from the gang would find her and he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. "We're nearly there," he stated before seeing that Kyoko had slowed down.

Kuon walked over to her and saw that she was looking over a bridge. He hurried back to her, she couldn't be thinking of hurling herself over the edge and drowning herself, right? He hadn't been that cruel to her. He had only been attempting to secure her safety and her happiness.

As he got nearer to her though, he saw her looking down in wonder at a courtyard where there was music playing and couples dancing closely with one another. He smiled as he saw a girl standing there who was obsessed with fairy tales and the wonders of the world. He saw a girl who he believed would want to dress in one of those elegant gowns and be treated as if she were the most beautiful person alive. He had been trained in dancing but he doubted that she felt the trust in him that was required for this particular dance.

"May I have your hand?" he asked as the music carried over to them and Kyoko looked at him and smiled as she gazed into those emerald eyes and blinked, taking in the way that the moonlight was lighting up his fascinating blond hair. He looked absolutely gorgeous. She shook her head, she had been taught in the past to not fall for a man like this. Being close to men had sentenced those women to their death but he seemed kind and she wanted to trust him.

Giving him her hand, Kyoko smiled as she felt him waltz with her as they stood on that bridge in the moonlight. This was the type of thing that only girls like Cinderella and Aurora could enjoy. This shouldn't be happening to her. This type of happiness was something that she wasn't deserving of. However, as the two danced into the night, she felt him pull her closer to him and she felt the warmth of his chest.

She couldn't fall for him, this guy didn't care about her but only cared about the protection of someone he felt in debt to. There was no love here, right?

…

…

"Your highness," Ruto, one of the heads of the guards said as he stood in the doorway of the library where Kuon was brushing up on some of the laws that greatly affected the kingdom. Ruto had been trained by Takarada, one of the prominent people within Japan and someone who had been a family friend for years. It was only after the "secret" double life that he had been living as Ren Tsuruga that Ruto had appeared and Kuon believed it was drawn from his father's concern. "I have the documents that you asked for."

Kuon stood up and walked over to him. He took a look around. The last thing that Kuon wanted was Kyoko to feel uncomfortable by finding out that he had been looking into her past and spying on her actions. He thanked Ruto before the man left and he put the files onto the table. Kuon looked over them and ran a finger down each of them.

He hoped that he had not affected any of the lives of these people who had once been on the list of people that Kyoko had been ordered to assassinate but instead had helped to go into victim protection. He took a deep breath in before opening a folder that was all about one of the politicians who had tried to clean up crime in Japan and had enforced some measures that had nearly affected the gang she had been brought up to be part of.

He looked at the documentation on the politician before looking to the other page where it talked about his life as a writer under a pen name and the fact that he was still trying to write about the politics he had risked his life to speak out about but they were carefully shielded within the subtle nonfiction novels he wrote.

Another showed that a woman who had escaped the gang when she had been taken in to get her husband to confess and give his life was now living happily with her husband and two children. She really had tried to help them despite not having all the resources that were at hand to him.

Hopefully he could protect her because, though he had tried to fabricate her death, she would be the next on their hit list. After all nobody broke the gang and turned their back against it without knowing it was reason enough for the order for them to be killed.

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers Of Chapter Four**

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671, moonlight46

 **AN2: Reino will definitely be in next chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Kuon looked over at Kyoko as she sat in her bedroom looking out the window. He hated that he had to keep her in here like a dove and not allow her to fly. He wanted to see how strong she was and how far she could spread her wings and fly. He had arranged for her to have a job with a local police officer that he was friends with and then what she did after meeting him was up to her. At least, that's what he had been _planning_ on telling her until he had learned the truth.

She was already being hunted. They were already suspecting that she wasn't already dead. She didn't have a corpse and it appeared that they weren't believing his lies about her being cremated with her ashes scattered in the wind. They wanted to find her.

He sighed and turned to walk away from the room, not sure how to break the news but as he turned, he heard her voice.

"The truth, Kuon," she said and Kuon turned to look at her. He blinked a little confused. How did she even know he was there. He was usually so good at covering up his location and breathing in a way where people couldn't detect him. She had seen through all of that. He was impressed but also concerned about her.

"The truth…" Kuon said in a steady voice and bowed his head. What truth was he supposed to tell her? He knew that she needed to know that she was being searched for but he truly wanted her to be happy. She deserved a life where she could be loved. She couldn't do that with fear in her heart.

"Yes, you're obviously standing there for a reason," Kyoko said before he laughed weakly. "I know that you're not a creep so what is it? Why are you watching me, you want to say something, don't you?" she asked in a sharp manner and Kuon walked into the room, coming down to sit on the bed and placed his hands on his knees.

"They've hired someone to search for you," he told her honestly. Unlike other women who he might try to sugar coat things for, he had the feeling that Kyoko would respect complete honesty and there wasn't a way of just gently tell her that she was being hunted like some exotic animal on safari.

"Oh," Kyoko said, her neutral facial expression not changing, "Is that it?" she asked and Kuon's jaw dropped a little. She was taking this better than he had thought that she would. "I mean, it's obvious. They are a really strong gang in Japan. They know how to track people and they know how to access information that other people…other people just can't. Do you know _who_ is coming?"

"I haven't been able to locate that information," Kuon replied and Kyoko nodded. He wished that he had a name for her or at least a method of assassination so that she would know how to protect himself but once again he was useless in his protection. He didn't understand how she held so much importance to him already, just that she did. She was like nobody else he had ever met and though he couldn't say that he was in love with her, there was the start of those emotions. Those deadly and distracting and confusing emotions.

"We could run off together," he told her and Kyoko laughed, scoffing at the idea.

"Right," she said with a roll of her eyes. "You and me running off together like in some fantasy?" she asked wrapping a hand around her chest and Kuon saw that she had more anxiety than she was letting him see. "Face it. I was born in the dirt and you were born in a palace. You are the prince whether you're ready to accept your place in this world or not."

"My place in this world?" Kuon asked her and Kyoko rolled her eyes. He was the prince. There was nothing else to say on the matter. He was going to become the king someday and she knew that he had a loyalty to his country that she couldn't match. She didn't want him giving up everything for her. This kingdom needed a kind and hard working heir to the throne.

"My life doesn't _have_ to be here," Kuon said as he thought about ways in which he could protect her and show her a happy life, she deserved to feel loved and appreciated. She deserved to be happy and he wanted to do those things for her. He was born into this station in life but he had chosen to live the life of Ren Tsuruga. Surely the achieved roles in life you had were more important than the ascribed roles.

"You're wrong," Kyoko told him and Kuon paused. "Please leave?" she asked and he stood up, people didn't tend to be the ones who told him to do something, he was usually the one to give the orders. It felt refreshing now that she was doing it. He would try to reason with her later but he wanted to show that he wasn't attempting to push her or force her, he was just worried for her.

…

…

Kyoko looked out the window at the courtyard below. She didn't want to embrace any kind of passion or sentiment towards Kuon. He was a prince and you could never just _stop_ being a prince and she wasn't any kind of a princess. She sighed as she opened the windows, not hearing anyone around and with another look around the luxurious room, she slipped out onto the window ledge.

Because of her training, avoiding the guards and security that the castle had was much easier than she had expected. It wasn't that it wasn't good but it was that she was better. She was more skilled and had been trained for as long as she could remember. She needed to get into the capital and run and keep running until there was no chance of anyone finding her again.

As she made it to a large church, Kyoko finally slowed down and saw a cape in a window of a store. She could wear that as a disguise. People wouldn't notice something so tattered and they would avoid her for fear of her being a filthy peasant, wasn't that what people in foreign countries did.

Kyoko looked at the item and put her hand to the glass. The store was closed. Of course it was closed. She took deep breaths and let her forehead rest on the glass before she was joined by a black haired male. "You really want that?" the man asked as he pointed a thumb at the cloak and Kyoko opened her mouth to explain but he shook his head with a sigh. "You can have my old one. I just returned from a long trek, was hoping to find some people to hire but everyone always has loyalty to the king," he said and Kyoko looked at him and nodded. Hopefully he wasn't some kind of rebel, King Kuu had been very kind to her and he was a benevolent and kind ruler who listened to others. Still, a disguise was a disguise.

"I'd be honored to have it," she said before eyeing him carefully. He wasn't showing any signs of being a part of the underworld or the gang life and she had been able to skillfully identify those who might pose a threat to her. "What's your name?" she asked and the man laughed.

"Seishi," he nodded, "Shinkai."

Kyoko blinked, she raked through her memory trying to remember if that was a name that she had ever heard before but she couldn't locate it in her memories. She tapped the cloak down for any trackers or items that might have been left with it. She put it on and realized that fortunately nobody would come to her when she was wearing this. Shinkai had prepared her first disguise for her.

"If you need a job though, come to me, I have many roles available," he winked and Kyoko couldn't believe her luck. She bowed before running off into the night. As she made her way out of the town, she wasn't watching where she was going and her body collided with another woman's.

"Do you _mind!?"_ the woman asked and Kyoko could see that she was dressed in what looked like very expensive clothing. She paused nervously. What was a woman like this doing alone at night. Kyoko took note of the way she looked at her. This woman was staring at her as if she were a disgusting homeless woman. Those were the thoughts Kyoko had hoped to achieve.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko apologized, "Who are you?"

"You should very well know who _I_ am," the woman said as she put a hand to her chest and Kyoko blinked in confusion. Was this woman famous in the kingdom or something? Well, Kyoko wasn't _from_ this kingdom. She had no idea the woman she had just crashed into. "I am Kanae Kotonami," she said as she put a hand over her heart. "Remember that name."

"I will," Kyoko nodded, "Are you important?" she asked before pausing, "I mean, are you well-known in this kingdom."

Kanae looked at her as if she were some bug who had lived through an attempt to squash her. "One day I will be," she said and Kyoko nodded silently. She hoped that was true but it didn't seem to be true today. Maybe there was a way that the two of them could work together.

…

…..

Kuon was trying to keep his mind busy by reading a book concerning socioeconomics. He had selected this book because he had wanted to distract himself from something other than Kyoko and he wanted to try to branch out. Kyoko had been right in a number of ways. He really had been a sheltered rich boy for the majority of his life even if he _had_ chosen to pretend.

Still, if she were willing to make a change for him, he wanted to reciprocate that. As he sat reading, there was a knock on the door and Kuon could hear someone in the doorway of the library. He put the book down and lifted his head.

"I asked to not be disturbed," he said before turning around and seeing Yashiro there. He blinked as he watched him. Yashiro would only come to him were something wrong especially if he had requested some alone time. Something had to be wrong.

"Kuon," Yashiro said and Kuon nodded, watching his closest friend. "She's gone."

"She's gone?" Kuon asked as he thought about Kyoko and how crafty she could be. Maybe Ren would have more of a chance of finding her than anyone else did. He would have to at least try since she could be walking into danger without knowing it.

"Yes, Miss Kyoko has fled," Yashiro repeated and Kuon closed his eyes trying to fight off a headache. He had trapped her and this had happened and now he had to track her so that nobody else would reach her before he could protect her, before he could lose her.

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Five**

H-Nala, Kaname671


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